This event is held at multiple businesses and organizations within the Cedar Rapids Metro area. Food drives are held at businesses like Rockwell Collins, Mercy Medical Center, City of Cedar Rapids and several more. The community can participate at events such as selected Cedar Rapids Kernels games in July, selected Freedom Festival events. The community may also donate directly to the HACAP Food Reservoir , PO Box 490 Hiawatha, IA 52233.

 

This corporate and community food and fund drive benefits area food assistance programs during the summer months when demand for food assistance peaks, but supplies dwindle. We need food and funds to keep the shelves stocked during the summer when kids are home from school.

Brucemore announces the reopening of the 21-room Queen Anne style mansion for guided tours on March 1, 2012, including a reinterpretation and refurnishing of the Sewing Room. Located on the mansion’s second floor, the Sewing Room provided space for clothing alterations and served as Mrs. Douglas’ office. The reinterpretation will provide new levels of enrichment to the tour by demonstrating the multiple uses of rooms in the mansion and showcasing Mrs. Douglas’ role in the house as a well-educated woman.

Mansion tours are offered March through December, Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 3:00 p.m. Tours begin on the hour and last approximately 50 minutes. Admission is $7.00 for adults, $3.00 for children between the ages of 6 and 18, and free to Brucemore members. Purchase tickets in the Brucemore Store and Visitor Center.

Brucemore, Iowa’s only National Trust Historic Site, is located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.

Cedar Rapids will host the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa™ on Thursday, July 26, 2012. Out of more than 12,000 riders that will be staying overnight in Cedar Rapids, around 2,000 are looking for private camping or home stays.

 

The Cedar Rapids RAGBRAI Housing Committee is looking for volunteers to provide parking for motor homes, space for tents, floor space, beds, and/or bathroom facilities. Hosts are not required to transport or feed the riders, and are not allowed to charge for accommodations. 

 

Hosts are expected to provide riders with a place to sleep, access to a bathroom and shower and possibly somewhere to fill water bottles. They are not required to entertain guests or provide them with amenities such as towels, soap or shampoo.

 

RAGBRAI® riders will arrive mid to early afternoon and Thursday and will leave around 9 a.m. on Friday. Riders will be well-behaved, appreciative and respectful guests and the hosts’ hospitality will help improved their RAGBRAI experience.

May is Military Appreciation Month. To honor military service members and their families, participating Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants will be supporting the VFW Foundation’s Return the Favor campaign for the second year in row.

 

During May’s “Salute the Troops” program, participating locations will be donating 10% of total food and non-alcoholic beverage purchases for guests who presents a Military ID, VFW Membership card or Return the Favor card.

The “Salute the Troops” program also thanks restaurant guests for participating. Donors will receive a yellow wristband. Wearing the wristband into Buffalo Wild Wings anytime in May will allow them to donate again. Wearing it in June entitles guests to 10% off of their food and non-alcoholic beverage purchases (cannot be combined with other offers or discounts). One wristband per check, while supplies last.

More than 7,500 local VFW posts nationwide will be promoting this donation drive, encouraging their 450,000+ organization members to dine in their local Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants.

For more information and participating locations, visit troops.buffalowildwings.com.

The Cedar Rapids Parks & Recreation Department will open its two farmers’ markets the first week in May. The 8th Avenue City Farmers’ Market, located at the back of the parking lot on 8th Avenue SE and 2nd Street SE, opens on Tuesday, May 1. Due to construction, patrons should use the 2nd Street SE entrance closest to 12th Avenue. Signs will be posted. The hours of operation for this market are Tuesdays from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. – Noon through Saturday, October 20, except for when the Downtown District’s Farmers’ Market is open. (The 8th Avenue City Market will be closed on the following Saturdays:  June 2, June 16, July 7, July 21, August 4, August 18, September 1, and September 15.)

 

Noelridge Farmers’ Market, located on the corner of Collins Road and Council Street NE, opens on Wednesday, May 2. It is open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. through Friday, October 19. (The Noelridge Market will be closed on May 28, July 4 and September 3.)

 

All markets sell plants, cut flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables, doggie treats, kettle corn, meat, honey, baked goods and crafts. The Noelridge and 8th Avenue City Markets are certified by the Iowa State Agriculture Department to accept IFMNP checks from the WIC Program and the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. For information about Senior Farmers’ Market checks, call (319) 398-5559.

 

Call Teresa at the Cedar Rapids Parks & Recreation Department, 286-5699, for more information.

 

CEDAR COUNTY

5/23/2012, 12:00 pm- 5:00 pm, Clarence Fire Department, 411 Lombard St, Clarence

 

LINN COUNTY

5/19/2012, 8:00 am-12:00 pm, Grant Wood Chapter Neighborhood Blood Drive, 6300 Rockwell Dr NE, Cedar Rapids

 

5/21/2012, 11:30 am- 5:30 pm, Grant Wood Chapter Neighborhood Blood Drive, 6300 Rockwell Dr NE, Cedar Rapids ,

 

5/29/2012, 7:00 am- 1:00 pm, Grant Wood Chapter Neighborhood Blood Drive, 6300 Rockwell Dr NE, Cedar Rapids

 

WASHINGTON COUNTY

5/29/2012, 11:00 am- 4:00 pm, Riverside Casino, 3184 Hwy 22, Riverside

Simply call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license, or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements. 

Uptown Friday Nights is a ten week outdoor concert series that takes place in Greene Square Park every Friday night, 5-8 p.m., from May 25 - July 27, 2012. Ticket prices for the bulk option are $4.50 per ticket if 30 – 50 tickets are purchased and $4.00 per ticket if more than 50 tickets are purchased.

Proceeds from Uptown Friday Nights fund the operations of the Cedar Rapids Jaycees. The Cedar Rapids Jaycees are a Young Professionals leadership organization operating in Cedar Rapids since 1933. They provide

programming that develops individual growth, professionalism and help to the community. To date, over $330,000 has been donated back to the Cedar Rapids and surrounding community!

Tickets can be purchased by e-mailing media@cr-jaycees.com with the amount of tickets to be ordered.

Mrs. Piper, a cleaning woman for a suite of corporate offices, knows everything about everybody. But, when she stumbles onto a murder, she just might know TOO much! Will the murderer turn on Mrs. Piper to keep her quiet? This play will keep you laughing and guessing “who done it,” until the last scene.

 

Busybody was written by Jack Popplewell and is rated Theatre PG. The cast consists of Marquetta Senters of South Amana, Jeff Haffner of Cleveland, Ohio; Robert Kemp of Iowa City, Tom Milligan of West Amana, Jackie McCall of Marengo, Kay Francis of Naples, Florida; Eddie Skaggs of Cedar Rapids and Amber Snyder of Amana.

 

Directed by S. Joseph Nassif, Busybody will run through July 1 and is sponsored by Double Take Design, Inc. Media sponsor is KMRY. Show times are 3 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

 

For more information or to order tickets, call The Old Creamery Theatre at 800-35-AMANA (352-6262) or visit the web site at www.oldcreamery.com

 

The Old Creamery Theatre Company is a not-for-profit professional theatre founded in 1971 in Garrison, Iowa. The company has been bringing live, professional theatre to the people of Iowa and the Midwest for 41 years.

The Iowa Theatre Artists Company kicks off its fifth season in Amana with an area premiere of the new comedy, “Mrs. Mannerly” by Jeffrey Hatcher. The play, written in 2010, originally opened at the Illusion Theatre in Minneapolis and has since gone on to play various cities across the U.S.  Hatcher based his fictitious story on a real-life experience of attending etiquette classes in Steubenville, Ohio in 1967.  "Mrs. Mannerly" opens on May 18 and runs through June 10.

“Mrs. Mannerly” is a two-actor comedy with one actor playing the title character and the other actor playing all five of the students in the class.  Sean Christopher Lewis of Iowa City makes his ITAC debut in the role of Jeffrey.  Meg Merckens, South Amana, will be playing opposite Lewis as Mrs. Mannerly. It’s a first-time pairing of these two Artistic Directors from the Working Group Theatre of Iowa City and ITAC in Amana.  Thomas P. Johnson, South Amana, directs.

Mrs. Mannerly is a demanding teacher who has been teaching etiquette classes for 36 years, and no student has ever achieved a perfect score in her class.  Young Jeffrey is determined to be the first to achieve this feat. The unique comic tale reveals truths about the face we present and the real selves that lie inside.  “Choosing shows for a season can be a very challenging undertaking,” states Merckens.  “We chose “Mrs. Mannerly” because there are so many fun elements within the script.  It’s witty and nostalgic as well as being edgy and irreverent but  mostly it’s just very, very funny.” Merckens warns,  “Though based on a childhood memory, there is some language that may be found offensive by certain members of our audience, so we are recommending this comedy for mature audiences.”

Tickets may be reserved by calling: 319-622-3222. After listening to their audience’s recommendations and suggestions, the Iowa Theatre Artists Company has made a change in their regular performance schedule by moving the usual Friday matinee at 1:30 pm to a Saturday matinee at the same time.  Ticket prices vary from show to show and for the various musical concerts throughout the year.  For "Mrs. Mannerly" the ticket price is $22.50 for Adults and $10 for Students (student prices apply all the way up to college and graduate school).  Group Discounts are available as well as a FlexCard Savings Program.  Details of their entire season can be found on their website: www.iowatheatreartists.org/. 

ITAC is a fully professional theatre company in Amana and is a member of the Actors’ Equity Association, the professional organization of actors and stage managers in the United States.